Girlfriend of Elizabeth Marriott murder suspect in court again

Saturday

Feb 16, 2013 at 11:00 AMFeb 16, 2013 at 11:33 AM

DOVER — The teenage girlfriend of murder suspect Seth Mazzaglia returned to Strafford County Superior Court for the second day in a row Friday, appearing on the same day that a grand jury in the building was considering indictments.

By Jim Haddadin and Samantha Allen

DOVER — The teenage girlfriend of murder suspect Seth Mazzaglia returned to Strafford County Superior Court for the second day in a row Friday, appearing on the same day that a grand jury in the building was considering indictments.

Kathryn “Kat” McDonough was seen standing inside the lobby at about 2:30 p.m. Friday. The visit followed an earlier trip to the courthouse on Thursday.

Foster's has learned that a grand jury was seated in the courthouse both days. Jurors convened for a six-hour session Friday, breaking at 2 p.m.

It's unknown whether McDonough's presence was connected to the grand jury proceedings. McDonough has declined to answer questions from Foster's regarding her business in the court.

The 19-year-old Portsmouth resident is facing charges that she lied to police about her interaction with University of New Hampshire sophomore Elizabeth Marriott on the night Marriott disappeared.

Marriott was last seen alive on the evening of Oct. 9, when she attended class at the UNH campus in Durham. Family members say one of her final communications was a message indicating she was heading to Dover to see friends.

Mazzaglia, 30, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder a few days after Marriott's disappearance. Investigators say Mazzaglia either suffocated or strangled Marriott inside his apartment.

The attorney general's office has yet to secure an indictment in the case. A Strafford County judge has granted prosecutors two extensions, pushing the deadline for an indictment into the middle of April.

On Thursday, McDonough and her mother were seen entering a courtroom on the second floor of the Strafford County courthouse at about 3 p.m. McDonough conversed with Hampton defense attorney Andrew Cotrupi before taking a seat in the rear of the courtroom during a scheduled recess.

Cotrupi and Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley, who was also present Thursday, refused to answer questions about why they were inside the Dover court.

Hinckley has been involved in prosecuting the Marriott murder case during the past several weeks.

Prosecutors say McDonough was engaged in a romantic relationship with Mazzaglia before Marriott's disappearance. She was arrested on Dec. 24, 2012, and charged with one felony count of hindering apprehension or prosecution and one felony count of conspiracy to do the same. Both are Class B felonies.

At an arraignment in Derry, McDonough's bail was set at $35,000 cash bail or corporate surety, which she posted on Dec. 30, 2012. She was released into her parents' custody.